Program note:

I: New Moon

II: Selene & Cynthia

III: Blue Moon

IV: Eos

V: Supermoon

VI: Dark Moon

VII: Red Moon

“Black Moon” is a lunar infused dream in seven movements, each movement illuminating a vision of lunar inspiration.  The name Black Moon itself comes from the horn trio the music was written for but also from a month with two new moons, among other meanings.  Some of the movements are rooted in Greek mythology, for example Selene, sometimes called Cynthia, the goddess of the Moon, or her sister, Eos, the goddess of dawn.  Other movements draw inspiration from natural lunar phenomena, like a Supermoon, when our moon seems so large it could fall out of the night sky, or the rarely seen Blue Moon.  Dark Moon is a story of forbidden love that can only hide on the dark side of the moon.  The final movement, Red Moon, occurring during a total lunar eclipse, is a glimpse into the militaristic underworld looming within the shadow of the moon.

-MM